Adjustable rail brace



Dec. 13, 1938. c. w. BREE ET AL 2,139,930

I ADJUSTABLE RAIL BRA CE I Original Filed Sept. 5, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Dec. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES 2,139,930 ADJUSTABLE RAIL BRACE Charles W. Breed, Western Springs, and George R. Burkhardt, Chicago, 111..

Application September 5, 1935, Serial No. 39,346 Renewed December 15, 1937 8 Claims. (01. 238-292) This invention relates to improvements in rail braces; that is, to devices for use in connection with track rails, guard rails, switch rails and the like, to support such rails against lateral deflection and tilting, and has generally in View to provide a highly efiicient rail brace which is adjustable to compensate for looseness and wear and which, at the same time, is of relatively low production, installation and maintenance cost.

At the present time there are in use two general types of standard rail braces; viz., nonadjustable braces and adjustable braces. Adjustable braces are of relatively high cost. Therefore, they are used as a rule only at those locations where adjustable braces are deemed absolutely necessary, the cheaper, non-adjustable braces being used as a rule at all other locations. However, wherever rail braces are used, adjustable braces are far more to be desired than nonadjustable braces, and would be used in lieu of non-adjustable braces were their cost not so much higher than the latter braces. Accordingly, the present invention has more particularly in view to provide a practical adjustable rail brace which is of considerably less cost than present standard rail braces and which is not of materially greater cost than present standard non-adjustable rail braces, thereby, from an economic standpoint, to enable railroads to use adjustable braces either exclusively, or at least in many locations where non-adjustable braces are used at present.

Further, the present invention has in view to provide a rail brace which not only is adjustable to compensate for any lateral looseness or play between the brace and the rail with which it cooperates, but which also is adjustable to compensate for vertical looseness or play between the 40 brace and the rail with which it cooperates.

Further, the invention has in view to enable the use of present non-adjustable rail braces, either without alterations, or with only relatively slight alterations, as the main element of the new 45 adjustable rail brace, thereby to secure economy in the production of the new brace.

With the foregoing and other purposes in View, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the

50 same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of features as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein are illustrated dif- 5, ferent practical embodiments of the invention and wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in related views:-

Figure l is a top plan 'view of one form of the invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 2--2 5 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a View similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a slight modification. 10

Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating an alternative form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line 66 of Fig. 5; and

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the form of the 15 invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6.

Referring to the drawings in detail, first to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, A designates a portion of a cross tie,

B designates a base plate resting upon said cross 20 tie, C designates a rail seated upon said base plate, 12 designates a shoulder rising from and extending transversely of said base plate at a point spaced from a side of the rail, D designates a bracket or abutment element seated on the base 5 plate B between the rail C and the shoulder b, E designates a gib removably engaged with said bracket or abutment element, and F designates a filler element or wedge interposed between said gib and the rail. 30

The base plate B is, or may be, of standard design. Similarly, the bracket or abutment element D is, or may be, a standard, one-piece rail brace comprising a base It and an abutment ll rising therefrom. Of course, this bracket or 5 abutment element may be specially formed if so desired, but as a standard, one-piece rail brace as illustrated is well adapted for use as the abutment element of the present adjustable rail brace, and as such braces are available at, low cost, it is preferred to employ the same rather than to specially construct equivalents thereof.

Standard, one-piece rail braces as illustrated are made in various different sizes to fit rails of various different sizes, but according to the present invention the bracket D must be of smaller' size than the rail with which it is used in order to provide the necessary space between the bracket and the rail to accommodate the part or parts which render the rail brace adjustable. Accordingly, in constructing the present adjustable rail brace a, bracket in theform of a standard, one-piece rail brace is selected which is of a size to fit a smaller rail than the. rail which the adjustable brace is designed to fit. When in its operative position upon the base plate B, the outer edge of the base of said bracket abuts the shoulder b, whereby the bracket is held against outward movement, and the inner and upper faces of the abutment H are spaced from and extend parallel to the web 12 and the under side of the head i3, respectively, of the rail.

The filler element or wedge F is of suitable length and is of substantially inverted L-shape in cross section, comprising, as shown, a vertical portion I 4 and a lateral portion l5 extending outwardly from the top of said vertical portion. The inner face of the vertical portion and the upper face of the lateral portion are formed to contact throughout their respective lengths with the rail web and the under side of the rail head, respectively, and said portions are of greatest thickness at one end of the element and of progressively decreasing thickness toward the other end of the element, or, in other words, are of wedge shape longitudinally.

Since the inner and the upper faces of the abutment ll of the bracket D extend parallel to the rail, and since, because of the wedge shape of the vertical and the lateral portions [4 and of the filler element, the outer and the under surfaces of said portions extend at inclinations relative to the inner and the upper faces, respectively, of the abutment II, it is necessary to provide for suitable bearing cooperation between the filler element or wedge and the abutment II. The gib E serves this purpose. As in the case of the filler element or wedge F, the gib E is of substantially inverted L-shape in cross-section and comprises a vertical portion, designated as l6, and a lateral portion, designated as H, extending outwardly from the top of said vertical portion. The outerface of the vertical portion .and the under face of the lateral portion are formed to seat against the inner and the upper faces, respectively, of the abutment H of the bracket D, and said portions are of greatest thickness at one end of the gib and of progressively decreasing thickness toward their other ends, or, in other words, are of wedge shape longitudinally and have their inner and upper faces inclined corresponding to the inclinations of the outer and the under faces of the vertical and the lateral portions l4 and I5, respectively, of the filler element or wedge D. Thus, by interposing the gib and the filler element or wedge between the abutment ll of the bracket D and the rail as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and by holding the gib against endwise movement while driving the filler element or wedge longitudinally, .a thoroughly tight relationship between the bracket and the rail obviously may be effected. In this connection it is pointed out that the degree of inclination of the cooperating faces of the lateral portions of the gib and the wedge may differ from the degree of inclination of the cooperating faces of the vertical portions of the gib and the wedge so that for any given amount of longitudinal movement of the wedge, the resulting inward and upward movements thereof are correct relative to eachother to effect an accurate tightening of the relationship between the bracket and the rail both laterally and vertically.

Any suitable means may be employed to hold the gib E against longitudinal movement relative to the abutment II. For example, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the lateral portion I! thereof may be provided at its ends with downwardly directed flanges l8 to engage the ends of the abutment I I Alternatively, as illustrated in Fig.

4, a tongue I9 may be struck outwardly from the vertical portion [6 to be received within the abutment II which is hollow, or, in lieu of a tongue such as [9, a lug may be formed on the vertical portion to extend into the hollow abutment ll.

Any suitable means may be employed to hold the filler element or wedge F in different adjusted positions to which it may be driven. As illustrated in the present instance, holes are formed through the lateral portion [5 of said element at points spaced longitudinally thereof toselectively receive a cotter pin or the like 2|. As the wedge is driven inwardly the holes 20 are moved successively to a position immediately beyond the flange [8 at the thicker end of the gib, and when a cotter pin or the like is passed through the hole which is positioned immediately beyond said flange it cooperates with said flange to hold the wedge against movement in an opposite direction.

The filler elements or wedgesF may be formed cheaply and easily from worn rail joint splice bars, thereby further to reduce the production cost of the present adjustable brace. Moreover, by employing wedges all of the same size with a one-piece standard brace D of given size, it only is necessary to provide gibs of different sizes or thicknesses to adapt the adjustable brace to.

fit a number of different sizes of rails.

Also, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the 'base [0 of the bracket may be provided with .an oblique tongue 50 to enter an oblique hole lfl in the tie plate B thereby to interconnect the bracket and plate so that the latter will lift with the brace or bracket.

Figs. 5 to 7 of the drawings illustrate that an adjustable rail brace, employing a standard type one-piece rail brace as an abutment element, may be produced by employing only a filler element or wedge in conjunction with such a brace and without employing a gib such as is shown in Figs. 1 to 3, by the simple expedient of shearing the outer end of the base I0 of the otherwise standard brace diagonally, rather than at right angles, to its longitudinal axis, as is usual, and by suitably inclining the top face of the abutment H of said brace. When the outer end'of said base is so sheared and is seated against the shoulder b of the base plate B the brace, considered as an entirety, is canted relative to the base plate and the rail C with the result that the inner face of the abutment II is disposed at an inclination relative to the rail web. Thus, due to this inclination of the inner face of said abutment, and to the inclining of the upper face thereof by grinding or in any other suitable man ner, the filler'element or wedge F", which may be the same as the filler element or wedge illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, may be employed directly between the rail and the modified standard, onepiece brace D. To fasten the wedge F in different adjusted positions a cotter pin or the like may be employed to cooperate with an end of the abutment II or with a hole drilled in the top of said abutment. The said wedge F is tapered longitudinally and vertically to compensate for the movement away from the underside of the rail head.

If desired, in the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the base or tie plate B may have one side of the spike holes thereof formed obliquely, or on an incline as shown at B to engage with an oblique hook D struck down from the base lfl'tof the brace. When the spikes are placed in position as shown in Fig. 6, it will be apparent that the brace and tie plate are interlocked so that as the rail lifts, the plate will lift with it.

Further means for interlocking the plate and base are also shown in Figs. and 6. That is to say, the shoulder b may be made high enough to provide a slot b for receiving a tongue I 0 formed on the outer edge of the brace.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A rail brace comprising a bracket to be mounted at the side of a rail to be braced, a gib to be removably mounted upon said bracket at the inner side thereof, said gib having inner and upper wedge surfaces, and a wedge to be interposed between said gib and the rail, said wedge having outer and under surfaces for cooperation with the wedge surfaces of the gib to urge the wedge inwardly and upwardly rela tive to the rail when the wedge is moved longitudinally relative to the gib.

2. A rail brace comprising a bracket to be mounted at the side of a rail to be braced, a gib to be removably mounted upon said bracket at the inner side thereof, end flanges on said gib to overlie and engage end faces of the bracket,

'thereby to hold the gib against longitudinal movement relative to the bracket, and a Wedge to be interposed betwen the gib and the rail.

3. A rail brace comprising a bracket to be mounted at the side of a rail to be braced, said bracket including a base and an upstanding hollow formation, a gib to be removably mounted upon said bracket at the inner side thereof, a projection extending outwardly from said gib for engagement in the hollow upstanding portion of said bracket to hold the gib against longitudinal movement relative to the bracket, and a wedge to be interposed between the gib and the rail.

4. A rail brace comprising, in combination, a base plate having a shoulder extending at right angles to its longitudinal axis, said plate being designed to support a rail inwardly of said shoulder, a bracket including a base to rest upon said plate between the rail and said shoulder, an abutment formation rising from said base and having an inner face disposed at substantially right angles to the vertical longitudinal plane of the base, the outer edge of said base extending at an angle relative to the inner face of the abutment formation such that when said outer edge is engaged with the shoulder of the base plate the bracket is canted relative to the base plate to dispose the inner face of the abutment formation of the bracket at a longitudinal inclination relative to a rail supported upon the base plate,

and a wedge to be interposed between the rail and the inner face of said abutment formation.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 in which the upper face of the abutment formation extends at a longitudinal inclination relative to a rail supported upon the base plate, and in which the wedge has a portion for cooperation with said upper face to cause the wedge to be elevated when it is moved to produce inward movement thereof relative to the rail.

6. A rail brace comprising, in combination, the rail, a bracket mounted at the side of the rail and extending inwardly into overlying relationship to the rail flange, the inner face of said bracket being disposed approximately in vertical alinement with the outer side of the rail head, the inner and the top faces of said bracket being inclined relative to the rail web and the under side of the rail head, respectively, and a wedge member of substantially inverted i..-shaped cross section including vertical and lateral longitudinally tapered portions interposed between the inner face of the bracket and the rail web and between the top of the bracket and the under side of the rail head, respectively, so that by longitudinal movement of said wedge member relative to said bracket lateral and upward pressure is exerted upon the rail, and means for fasten ng said wedge member against longitudinal movement relative to said bracket in different positions of longitudinal adjustment of said wedge member relative to said bracket.

7. A rail brace comprising, in combination, the rail, a bracket mounted at the side of the rail and having an inner side which is inclined relative to the rail web, a longitudinally tapered wedge interposed between the said inclined inner side of the bracket and the rail Web and fitting against the underside of the rail head, said wedge having an outwardly extending vertically tapering flange having wedging cooperation between the upper part of the bracket and the rail head, and means to secure the wedge in different longitudinally adjusted positions relative to the bracket.

8. A rail brace comprising, in combination, the rail, a bracket mounted at the side of the rail and having an upper bearing surface inclined relative to the underside of the rail head, the inner side of said bracket being inclined relative to the rail web, a longitudinally tapered wedge interposed between the said inner side of the bracket and the rail web and fititng against the underside of the rail head, said wedge provided with an outwardly extending vertically tapering flange having an inclined underface providing wedging cooperation between said upper inclined surface of the bracket and the underside of the rail head, and means to secure the wedge in different longitudinally adjusted positions relative to the bracket.

CHARLES W. BREED. GEORGE R. BURKHARDT. 

